Who Was Edward Khil? Here Are 5 Facts You Need To Know

Popularly known as Mr. Trololo, Edward Khil was a very talented pop star and singer. To most people, he is simply known as the Soviet pop star who became a meme. Khil gained massive international recognition in 2010 when a 1976 video of him singing a non-lexical vocable version of the song “I am very glad, as I’m finally returning home” was uploaded on YouTube. It took a little while for it to go viral thereby earning him the name Mr. Trololo which eventually stuck.

Who Was Edward Khil?

Born on the 4thof September 1934 in Smolensk, Russia (then USSR), to Anatoly Vasilievich Khil and Yelena Pavlovna. Edward Khil was a Soviet Union pop star and singer. Life as a child was hard for young Khil. It worsened after his parents separated, and he had to be raised alone by his mom who was an accountant at the time. Things deteriorated further for Young Khil when his kindergarten school was bombed during World War II, leading to his hometown being occupied by Nazi Germany and his separation from his mother. He was moved to Bekovo, Penza Oblast where he ended up in a children’s home which lacked basic amenities such as clean water, electricity, adequate shelter, and food as a result of the war. Khil’s passion for singing came at a very tender age. As a kid, he regularly sang for wounded soldiers in nearby hospitals

In 1943, when his hometown was liberated from Nazi Germany, he finally got reunited with his mom. Shortly after that, they moved to the city of Leningrad with hopes of a better life. In Leningrad, Khil enrolled and graduated from a printing college. In 1955 he enrolled in Leningrad conservatory and studied under the leadership of Yevgeny Olkhovsky and Zoya Lodyi.

In 1958, Khil met Zoya Pravdina, a ballerina, while at Leningrad Conservatory. During the summer and fall of 1958, they toured together and while on tour, developed romantic feelings for each other. They eventually got married on the 1st of December 1958.

Cognitive importance should be placed on the fact that Khil’s love for pop music came after graduation in 1960 after he attended a Klavdiya Shuhzhenko concert. That served as all the motivation he needed to start performing popular music. In the Soviet Union, however, any form of vulgar language in songs could lead to it being banned or censored. So for Khil to become successful in this genre of music, it shows not only how great a talent he was, but also how passionate he was about music.

His love and zeal for music eventually paid off in 1962 when he won the all-Russian competition for performers. This was the start of greater things to come in his career. In the year 1965 Khil was invited to perform at the festival of Soviet songs. He also recorded more success that same year by coming second place in the Sopot International Song Festival. His musical career was one that was flooded with success, his passion for music kept pushing him to new heights, winning him several plaques along the way thereby making him one of the most decorated Russian musicians of all time.

5 Facts You Need To Know

1. Edward Khil’s Family Life

He met his Wife Zoya Pravdina in 1958, at this time they were both performers at the Leningrad Conservatory and all it took was a summer and fall tour to ignite their feelings and unite their hearts.

On December 1st, 1958, the lovebirds got married. It’s also a joy to know that he spent the rest of his life married to his one true love until he took his last breath. They had only one child, a boy named Dmitri who was born in 1963. Khil also had a grandson who was named Eduardo, in his honor.

2. He Wasn’t Only Into Singing

Did you know that Russian pop sensation Edward Khil toured 80 countries in his lifetime? However, life was not all about the stage for Khil. It would surprise you to know that Khil once worked as a teacher. Between 1977 and 1979, Edward Khil taught solo singing at the St Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. He relished doing this as it gave him joy to be able to pass immense knowledge and experience to other people.

3. Things Weren’t Always Rosy For Edward Khil.

The early 1900’s marked the beginning of the end of his amazing musical career. It’s also important to take cognizance of the fact that after his long award-winning musical career ended, he re-entered private life and worked in a café in Paris singing Cabaret.

4. His Awards

Edward’s awards include the Meritorious Artist of the RSFSR which he won in 1968, Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971), People Artist of the RSFSR (1974), the Lemon Komsomol Prize which he won in 1976, The Stephen Wolf Prize (2010) and the Golden Gramophone award given to him in 2011, just to name a few. His success was very vivid for all to see to the extent that he was tagged the Symbol of Leningrad.

5. How He Died

Khil suffered a partial stroke on the 8th of April 2012 and was rushed to the Mariinsky Hospital in St Petersburg where he fell into a coma immediately. He was later diagnosed with irreversible brain damage. After all the struggles to save his life, Khil eventually gave up the ghost on the 4th of June 2012 as a result of complications arising from the stroke.